58th Street and Roosevelt Avenue (GMaps)
July 29, 2019 By Allie Griffin
The most dangerous intersection for bikers traveling through Queens is at 58th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside, according to a new study.
The home-search site Localize.city released its study as the city-wide death toll of cyclists following collisions and other traffic incidents climbed to 18 Monday morning.
Twelve cyclists at the Woodside intersection have suffered injuries in the last five years, according to Localize.city’s data scientists. This number ties the intersection the fourteenth most dangerous for cyclists citywide.
The study notes that there are no bike lanes along either Roosevelt Avenue or 58th Street and traffic from Woodside Avenue connects with the intersection. “That adds in a wildcard element that makes traffic unpredictable,” said Localize.city urban planner Sam Sklar.
Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced a $58.4 million plan to improve bike safety throughout the five boroughs. Under his plan called “Green Wave,” the Department of Transportation identified “bike priority districts” where there’s a disproportionate number of cyclist fatalities. The areas in Queens include Jackson Heights, Corona, Elmhurst, Ridgewood, Middle Village and Rego Park among others.
While the plan identifies neighborhoods in need of increased bicycle safety, the DOT has not yet disclosed exact intersections will be included in the 100 most crash prone intersections where the initiative promises to ramp up NYPD enforcement. Localize.city analyzed every intersection across the five boroughs and evaluated the relative safety of each one based on bicycle injuries and fatalities, for a five-year period through 2018.
The top ten intersections with the highest number of cyclist injuries and fatalities are all in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The number one most dangerous is in Chelsea at 6th Avenue and W. 23rd Street, with 21 injuries and was the spot of a cyclist fatality last month.
“Experts and the city already know where the dangerous intersections are and what makes them so unsafe. Our job at Localize.city is to ensure all New Yorkers are informed,” Sklar said. “If you’re thinking about taking up cycling you should know if the intersections and streets near your home are dangerous. If you’re moving and cycling is important to you, we want you to find a home that will be safe to cycle to and from.”
